It may be unsurprising that Selfridges is launching its first Irish food and drink show this August. With a fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth Irish whiskey is now the world’s fastest growing spirit according to the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA).

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) chief executive Karen Betts is this week joining the Prime Minister Theresa May and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on a business delegation to Japan to ensure that trade opportunities aren’t scuppered by Brexit.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding trade routes and tariffs thrown up by Brexit, exports of Scotch rose in both value and volume last year, rising by 4% to more than £4 billion and 4.8% to 1.2bn bottles respectively.